There's a lot to be said for one-on-
one mentoring relationships, as
great things can grow from even
the simplest alliances. Sometimes,
this is literally the case: Alexander the Great
received private tuition from the Greek
philosopher Aristotle, who taught his
13-year-old student about practical matters
including medicine, logic and art, as well
as concepts such as self control, honour
and discipline. Clearly, Aristotle's pupil
benefited greatly from this relationship and
went on to create one of the largest empires
in ancient history by the age of 30. Although
that distinct master-apprentice relationship
may not apply in all business scenarios, the
broader concept of mentoring is certainly
alive and well in Australia in 2013.
"Great mentors push you to the edges,"
says Wendy McCarthy AO. "They make
you realise that you could do things you
would never have dreamt of --- that's
the magic of mentoring." McCarthy,
who founded McCarthy Mentoring in
Sydney in 1998, is also an experienced
company director, and currently chairs
Headspace National Youth Mental Health
Foundation, Circus Oz, McGrath Estate
Agents and Pacific Friends of the Global
Fund. McCarthy's daughter, Sophie, came
on board at McCarthy Mentoring in 2007
as general manager, and the pair now
arranges mentoring programs with senior
executives, corporations, emerging leaders
and individuals located in Australia, the
UK, China and New Zealand.
McCarthy's experiences with the power
of mentoring relationships began in her
first career, before entering the business
world. "I was the beneficiary of mentoring
even as a very young teacher at a girls
school. There were older women in the
staff room who took it upon themselves to
help me find my way around --- people
whose wisdom I wanted to listen to, who
were always there for support and advice."
This is an example of what she deems
'organic mentoring', which tends to grow
in the workplace, beginning with a tap
on the shoulder. "Someone senior sees
someone junior and thinks, 'I'll see
what I can do for that person,'" explains
McCarthy. "It's always a generous thing."
The alternative is 'formal mentoring'. "It's
quite different: it's more structured, and it
reaches a much wider group of people,
because it's not just self-selecting," says
McCarthy. In such situations, "a CEO might
look at how to develop people with high
potential and how to have a diverse,
inclusive culture," she says. "It makes you
look at people in a different way. It's a
reward program; it's not just somebody
tapping you on the shoulder. There's a place
for that, but nothing beats the discipline of
meeting with someone for 20 hours a year,
or two hours a month, to talk about and
clarify their plans and what they'd like to
be; and to be validated, in many ways."
According to David Gonski, businessman
and philanthropist, striking up a mentoring
relationship is a very professional thing to
do on the part of the mentor. As for the
mentee, Gonski believes it's an "incredibly
courageous and correct thing to do, because
you're investing time in thinking about
yourself --- which, often, one doesn't do."
The simple fact that a mentee must open up
completely, warts and all, before the earnt
wisdom and experience of a senior figure is
a significant gesture. "And, of course, you
don't know what the mentor will say to you.
Sometimes it can be quite confronting," he
admits. "It takes a lot of guts to work under
someone in your own profession."
Gonski is in a fine position to ruminate
on his experiences on both sides of the
mentorship coin. Although he currently
chairs the boards of Investec, the
Australian Stock Exchange and Coca-
Cola Amatil, he first became aware of the
virtues of being mentored at about
the age of 22, when he began training at the
Great mentors push you to the edges. They make you
realise that you could do things you'd never dreamt of.
"
"
mentor noun . a wise and
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